It's... very weird.

Not nearly as weird as it could be, I'm sure. Everything is foreign though. Unfamiliar software, familiar software that doesn't look or work the way it's supposed to (e.g. Skype, which apparently stopped bothering to develop new versions for Linux long before they added new features, made the UI sleek and comfortable and improved call quality). And everything is kind of... klunky. It doesn't feel right. Not that Windows did, exactly, but in a way this feels like a step in the wrong direction. I'm sure I'll acclimate eventually, and I've already noticed that the options for customization of look and feel far exceed what Windows gave me, so once I have time to sit down and figure out how to make it the way I want, I'm guessing it will all be just fine. Frustrating at the outset though, not really knowing what to do next, or how to do it.

One thing I'm really happy with is the package management system. It's like something I'd invent in a dream that also included fountains of chocolate and naked supermodels.

The selection of different applications for the same jobs - things you take for granted in Windows like text editors and graphical file browsers - is somewhat intimidating given that I don't know anything about any of them. Trial and error's going to take a while. I do know, off the bat, that I'm not crazy about Nautilus. It's certainly okay - I just don't find it much more than that so far.

I haven't set up my printer yet. It's a Lexmark Z33. It appears to be about the only product they make that doesn't have native support in Ubuntu. Figures. I'm guessing I can find something somewhere though. I can see the printer just fine, however (it's on another Win2k machine on the network), and my Windows network shares are easily accessible as well, which I find lovely.

At this point I'm probably rambling. As with any drastic change in the way one does something, there are ups and downs at this point. It seems though that with not too many exceptions, there are likely ways for me to eliminate anything I'm not comfortable with and replace it with something I like better - a process I'll be spending more time on than I'd like to in the next while, but I'm sure with much benefit in the end.

Weee!